RELIGION, IT IS A-CHANGIN’
We live in interesting though frightening times. In many countries, governments have declared a state of emergency. There are restrictive measures to slow down the spread of the Coronavirus, such as a partial or complete lockdown. For many of us, we try to find a sense of safety in our own homes, and do our best to shun the virus to the best of our abilities. We wash our hands as much as we can (finding out that hand cream is essential for our now sore skin), we avoid approaching our fellow human beings (finding out that garlic is a multipurpose miracle plant), and we pillage the nearest supermarket in the village (finding out that toilet paper and weed are necessities of life). Also, drinking Corona beer doesn’t spread the virus, but it can give you hangovers if you drink too many bottles. Who knew? Apart from the quarantine meme machine entertaining all those confined to their own houses, religion is doing remarkable things as well. As a PhD candidate in Religious Studies, I find this absolutely fascinating. Therefore, based on a selection of recent articles on the subject, I aim to better understand how religions are coping with the threatening situation we are facing today. Let’s take a closer look at religion in times of the Coronavirus pandemic as observed from my office called Home.
Introduction
In this first part of Religion in Times of the Coronavirus Pandemic, we are going to examine the changes that religions are forced to undergo in order to ensure public health and safety. We will see that some religions have adapted with ease to a suddenly different world, but for others, the measures taken by the worldly authorities challenge core beliefs. Many religions must decide without much time to contemplate whether or not dogma should make room for advice coming from medical science when the believer’s health is at stake. This surely isn’t an easy task, and one can wonder what some concessions would mean for religious claims of truth, sacredness and the power to heal.
Stairway to Heaven
The most obvious – and arguably the most impacting change – is the shift from collective religiosity to the practice of religion in the private sphere. Religions are facing a challenge when it comes to the implemented measures of social distancing and country lockdowns. They put a halt to the coming together for worship and other communal religious activities. In many countries, religious buildings such as churches, mosques, synagoges and temples were obliged to close their doors to ensure that the religious community wouldn’t spread the virus among each other.
News items about Islam have shown that there is some religious flexibility once a consensus has been reached. After the consultation of Islamic authorities about the measures that should be taken during the COVID-19 outbreak, some Dutch mosques have decided to cancel Friday prayer, while others have advised people at risk to pray at home. Muslim scholars have concluded that the well-being of the ummah – the Muslim community – is of upmost importance. They based their decision on the Hadith, which are the exemplary stories about the sayings and doings of their prophet, Muhammad. During his time, that is, approximately 570 AD to 632 AD, a Muslim wasn’t allowed to travel if their local area was literally plagued. To avoid an increase in infected people today, the muezzin’s of Kuweit call the faithful to prayer, not traditionally to the mosque, but “al-salatu fi buyutikum” meaning “pray in your homes“. For public health reasons, many important religious buildings have been closed until further notice. For instance, the Al-Masjid an-Nabawī or Prophetic Mosque in Medina. It is also currently not possible for Muslims to perform the hadj – one of the five pillars of Islam. Most remarkably, even Islamic State has taken safety measures by discouraging terrorists to go to Europe for some trouble making, and they ordered jihadis to take hygienic measures.
Fear for the virus and its devastating effects have boosted crowdfunding for the construction of the largest Islamic cemetery in Western Europe. Due to the Corona outbreak in Italy, repatriation of the deceased to the county of origin wasn’t possible. It is imperative for Muslims to be buried as soon as possible with proper prescribed rituals, and they need the assurance of being able to remain in the grave until the believed Resurrection takes place. The uncertainty that this might not be possible caused panic among Dutch Muslims, so many started donating for their own local Islamic cemetery immediately.
The various Christian denominations each have their own approach to the measures that are taken. Bethel Church, an American Pentecostal megachurch that is known for its alleged miracles such as faith healing by means of prayer, the laying on of the hands, and even the raising of the dead, came with the quite surprising advice that faith healers should now stay away from the sick, and the sick should stay home. Missionaries should cancel their travels and therewith, while COVID-19 is out there, stop the saving of souls, and all other church members are asked to wash their hands regularly. For Christian denominations that put less emphasis on healing miracles, the measures taken would have less of an impact on upholding dogma than it would for charismatic churches. Some Protestant churches have shown flexibility when it comes to the Communion, and are sharing the holy wine not in a communal bowl, but in small individual cups. Other changes to religious practices, however, are not open to discussion as the community of faithful was called by their clergy to gather in church for a so-called ‘Atonement Day’ to pray for one’s sins. Contrary to what some Protestant officials have implemented for the sharing of wine, the Greek Orthodox Church has made the statement that no harm can be caused (and therewith no virus can be spread) by sharing the cup of holy wine during the Eucharist, because it is “both a practical affirmation of self-surrender to the Living God, and an apparent manifestation of love“, though those who are at risk are advised to stay at home.
The Vatican Office for Laity, Family and Life has declared that Catholics must “make some sacrifices in our daily lifestyle for the sake of the common good: our good, and the good of all”. Out of precaution, Catholic Churches have been emptying the Holy Water fonts, even thought the water blessed by clergy is traditionally used to ban all evil. Cardinal Raymond Burke, however, has suggested in a written statement that there are limits to the aforementioned “sacrifices“. He clearly distinguishes secular and religious spheres, whereby the ‘worldly’ health and safety measures apply to the former only. Only those believers who are not able to take part in the Holy Communion in church, can practice Spiritual Communion at home as “our homes are an extension of our parish“. Churches should remain openen in any case though, because the cardinal believes that everything that takes place in church is sacred and can’t spread diseases:
“In combating the evil of the coronavirus, our most effective weapon is, therefore, our relationship with Christ through prayer and penance, and devotion and sacred worship. (…) That is why it is essential for us, at all times and above all in times of crisis, to have access to our churches and chapels, to the Sacraments, and to public devotions and prayers. (…) so that we know God’s closeness to us and remain close to Him, fittingly calling upon His help. Without the help of God, we are indeed lost.“
As a result of the measures taken to prevent the spread of COVID-19, many religious festivals have or will be canceled. Ostara, the celebration of the Spring Equinox, has become a solitary ritual for a lot of contemporary Pagans. It is still unclear what will happen to Easter, Passover, Ramadan, and Rama Navami, among other holy days. It is carefully weighed up for sure, and a tough decision to make for many. Regarding Orthodox Easter, the Holy Synod of the Bulgarian Orthodox Church has decided that the faithful should stay home as much as possible, which is quite inevitable now that the Bulgarian government has declared a state of emergency and a ban on public gatherings. Early in March, however, it was stated on the website of the Church that the celebration of Easter on the 19th of April would not be canceled, although ill people should stay home in any case. Similar to the aforementioned Catholic cardinal, they argued that, contrary to profane places, disease can not – and has never – spread in the sacred environment of the church among the true believers. This has to do with a belief in the holiness of the sacraments and its healing powers. The Metropolitan of Plovdiv, Nikolai, has stated that the religious community should follow the “measures of secular authority“, and that he himself “freed” the community from going to church during the state of emergency. Regardless, he advocates for people to still be able to go to church during these times of crisis. Even more, the faithful, including the elderly, are performing the religious practice of kissing icons, which he considers beneficial for healing instead of a severe health risk.
Personal Jesus
For those religious people who do stay at home during the Coronavirus pandemic, some unexpected solutions to practice their faith have emerged. When greeting people even with the safe namaste mudrā instead of the now discouraged traditional handshake (including the secret Masonic handshake) isn’t possible, there is still the option of a virtual meeting. Religion and modernity are no enemies indeed. In the Netherlands, the National Day of Prayer was organized by various Christian organizations via live stream, but adherents of other religions were also invited to participate. Together, they tried to pray COVID-19 away:
“Miracles due to prayer exist. I believed that if people focus on one intention, something is stirred up in people. We can’t control what happens next as this is up to God. It is a great blessing that there are places for contemplation and submission.”
For Catholics, Pope Francis hosts live streams from the library of the Apostolic Palace instead of standing on the balcony of Saint Peter’s Basilica. This was decided after the first COVID-19 infected person was discovered in the Vatican. During one of the live stream events, the Pontifex Maximus advised the faithful to be kind to one another, and he has even asked God to stop the Coronavirus. Regardless of enabling Catholics to hear his message from the comfort of their own homes, the Pope has ignored the measures of the Italian government to stay inside his chamber himself. While actually recovering from a cold, the Bishop of Rome walked the empty city streets “as if on a pilgrimage” to visit the Basilica of Santa Maria Maggiore and the Saint Marcello al Corso. In these historical churches, he prayed to ward off the virus.
The Catholic Church also organizes live streams from the Grotto of Our Lady of Lourdes in France for a novena to the Immaculate. For nine days, devout Catholics pray the Rosary, and receive a daily message via email. The Feast of Annunciation will take place on the last day of the novena, during which the faithful will invoke the Immaculate Conception and ask for Mother Mary’s protection. There are more initiatives for virtual prayer hosted by other religions. The Jewish Shabbat can be celebrated online too. The latter is problematic for Orthodox Jews though, because melakhah – working – is prohibited by Judaic Law, which implies that electronic devices can’t be used. Fortunately for some, the Sephardic Chief Rabbi Yitzhak Yosef has made the unique exception that Jews are allowed to keep their mobile phones turned on during Shabbat in case of an emergency.
Now that a lot of religious people are forced to stay home due to various lockdowns and quarantines, there is a great opportunity for personal spiritual development. One of the advantages is having a spiritual retreat. People can pray, meditate, do yoga, and read holy and inspirational books in the confinements of their own places. It is even suggested that it is a wonderful time for the use of entheogens to have psychedelic experiences in other realms with the physical body safe indoors. The Iceman encourages people to “get high on your own supply” with his scientifically proven Wim Hof Method, which combines breathing exercises with cold therapy and building a strong mindset to boost the immune system. This is not an unnecessary luxury with Corona lurking in the dark. Moreover, occultist Julian Vayne has suggested that now is an ideal time to perform one of the most complicated magical ceremonies, the Abramelin Operation, which is the ritual of obtaining the Knowledge and Conversation of the Holy Guardian Angel. As the process can take up to 18 months to complete, there might be plenty of time to succeed – and better not “suck eggs”, as the magician Aleister Crowley wittingly remarked in another context. So, one doesn’t have to be bored while being housebound, and it might even lead to unexpected revelations for the spiritually inclined.
Conclusion
We have seen that religions can be both very flexible and can become quite conservative during a crisis as the one we are having today. In case of the former, religions can have a creative approach to adapting to the changing religious needs of people. It shows that religion is not always as uncompromising as it might seem. New forms of religiosity have emerged, and this is not just because religions were forced to do so. It might sound counter-intuitive at first, but religion, like all traditions, are subject to change by nature. Based on Eric Hobsbawm and Terence Ranger’s theory of the The Invention of Tradition – which explains that even though many traditions seem ancient at first glance, they are often actually quite recently invented[1] – James R. Lewis and Olav Hammer have explored the idea further in the context of religion in The Invention of Sacred Tradition.[2] We have seen that during the COVID-19 pandemic, religion is adapting at high speed, resulting in the emergence of new traditions. Some will disappear again over time, while others might become ‘set in stone’. In many instances, religious leaders have warmly welcomed the advantages of technology to connect with their community when leaving the house is not an option, while individuals can use the opportunity of being inside by going inside. This tells us that religion, it is a-changing.
We can also conclude that soms faiths have difficulties dealing with measures that go against dogma and belief. Some religious leaders are anxiously battling with what they perceive as their age-old adversary, science. This is evident from the distinction that is made between the efficacy of measures that are grounded in medical science, and the healing power of what religion claims to offer. If one believes that the sacraments are sacred, then these should safeguard a believer against something as materialistic as a viral disease that exists in the profane world. In such a case, it is argued, the religious community should be safe in the holy houses of worship, and sacred objects should have the power to ward off the virus and heal the sick. Also related is the debate, fueled by Pope Boniface VIII in his bull Unam sanctam as early as 1302 AD, about the primacy of the spiritual power which should hold the worldly authorities in check. Not only did Pope Boniface VIII argue that salvation is possible through the Church alone, the worldly government should submit to the sword of the religious leaders as well. Based on this line of thought, religious authorities – not just the Catholic Church – have declared that the measures imposed by secular powers don’t apply to the places considered most sacred. This idea can give people hope in times of insecurity and distress, but it can also put the faithful in a very dangerous – and even life threatening – situation.
On the other hand, some difficult decisions have been made which undermine religious beliefs and dogmatic claims. This could bring those religions in a very tricky position. When religious leaders ask their faith healers not to visit the infected out of fear for the spread of COVID-19, one could wonder if this leads to severe cases of cognitive dissonance or even a fall from faith. Only time will tell what will happen if believers become conscious of such limitations of claimed spiritual power.
There is also another perspective, which we will discuss in Part II, and that is the use of religious practices to actually empower believers to spiritually battle the Coronavirus. We will delve deeper into religious coping mechanisms during this outbreak. Then, in Part III, we will examine the various thrilling prophecies of the virus as a form of implicit religion. Stay safe!
Did I miss an interesting story about religion and the Coronavirus? Is there more to come? Most probably… So if you come across anything worth checking out, feel free to let me know in the comments.
Footnotes
[1] Eric Hobsbawm & Terence Ranger, eds. The Invention of Tradition. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2012.
[2] James R. Lewis & Olav Hammer. The Invention of Sacred Tradition. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2007.
Kult ov Yentl 